18 TTG TRAVEL AWARDS 2018 SPECIAL EDITION
Travel Hall of Fame
Hong Kong
International Airport Qatar Airways Raffles Hotel
Singapore
Steven Yiu
Deputy director, service delivery,
Airport Authority Hong Kong Marwan Koleilat
Regional senior vice president Asia-Pacific,
Qatar Airways Chadi Chemaly
Executive assistant manager – rooms
Raffles Hotel Singapore
How has your organisation stayed ahead of the
competition this year? How has your organisation stayed ahead of the
competition this year? How has your organisation stayed ahead of the
competition this year?
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA)
continues to enhance its facilities to maintain its
leading status as an international and regional
aviation hub. The Three-runway System project
will allow the airport to handle 30 million ad-
ditional passengers annually. The expansion in
Terminal 1 will also add over 40 check-in coun-
ters and two baggage reclaim carousels. We maintain our edge as one of the world’s best
airlines by constantly innovating and expanding.
Our growth remains unabated with increased
frequencies to cater to increased travel demand
and the launch of new gateways this year includ-
ing Thessaloniki, Cardiff, and London Gatwick.
We continue to invest in new state-of-the-
art aircraft and were the proud global launch
customers for the A350-1000 aircraft back in
February. The A350-1000 is equipped with our
patented Qsuite seat, which continues to raise the
bar for our business class cabin.
We look forward to bringing the Qsuite-
equipped A350-1000 to Singapore and Tokyo
(Haneda Airport) from 1 November 2018 and
1 January 2019 respectively. Two of Singapore’s
triple-daily A350-900 services will gradually
transition to the A350-1000 from November 1,
with the route expected to be served entirely with
the A350-1000 by April 2019. Currently, Raffles Singapore is fully closed for
a careful and sensitive restoration designed to
ensure that we retain what is so special about
Raffles – the ambience, the service, the charm
and the heritage of the hotel. Raffles Singapore
aims to reopen in mid-2019.
What three factors are critical in bringing your
organisation continually forward into the future?
HKIA’s excellence is grounded in three critical
success factors: safety, efficiency and services.
Each year, we conduct more than 100 drills,
exercises, trainings and seminars covering
various operational disruption and emergency
response scenarios. We strive to keep our airport
community abreast of the latest aviation safety
knowledge and technology.
HKIA has established its first mobile app and
introduced smart self-service check-in kiosks.
We strive to add a human touch to what we
do, and be caring, in order to deliver a superior
passenger experience. Our aim is to make HKIA
a destination in itself which travellers would like
to arrive at earlier to enjoy special delicacies or
do shopping.
What can your trade partners and customers look
forward to in doing business with you in 2019?
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge
(HZMB), which will open late-2018, will further
strengthen HKIA’s connections with the Western
Pearl River Delta (PRD) and Macao.
By 2023, an Intermodal Transfer Terminal
(ITT) and a bonded bridge will be built to con-
nect the HZMB with HKIA.
The ITT will enable air passengers to/from the
PRD West travelling via the HZMB to have direct
access to HKIA without going through Hong
Kong’s immigration or customs clearance. The
transit time between Hong Kong, the Western
PRD and Macao will be significantly shortened.
In additional, the Express Rail Link is
expected to be in operation by late-2018;
passengers travelling from mainland China will
be able to easily transfer to the HKIA via the
Airport Express Line. – C K Ng, executive
director, airport operations, Airport Authority
Hong Kong
What three factors are critical in bringing your
organisation continually forward into the future?
Our commitment to excellence and innovation
continues to drive us forward. The patented
Qsuite represents our commitment to innova-
tion, as this revolutionary business class seat
continues to set new benchmarks in the industry.
We also remain deeply committed to pro-
viding all passengers the finest service in the
skies. Accolades such as the TTG Travel Awards
reconfirms that our passenger-focused strategy
continues to deliver the highest level of satisfac-
tion to our loyal customers and will steer us in
the right direction in the days ahead.
What can your trade partners and customers look
forward to in doing business with you in 2019?
They can look forward to going to more places
together with us in 2019, as we add even more
gateways to our existing network including Tal-
linn, Estonia and Valletta, Malta among others.
We will also continue to closely engage and
collaborate with the travel trade community to
gain their continued support for our growth
and expansion. Just as we constantly innovate
to provide the best in-flight experience, we will
continue to find new and innovative ways to
work with our travel trade partners given the
technologically-savvy age we reside in.
What three factors are critical in bringing your
organisation continually forward into the future?
Raffles’ emphasis on service excellence truly
makes the hotel a global icon of luxury hospitali-
ty. Our dedicated team of colleagues, who deliver
personable and top quality service to create truly
memorable experiences for our guests, is an
essential element. This legendary service is the
reason for our guests to return; time after time,
year after year, generation after generation.
A focus on conceptualising and delivering
innovative culinary concepts is another factor:
for more than 100 years the dining venues at
Raffles Singapore have been recognised as an
integral part of the vibrant and ever changing
local bar and dining scene, exciting the local
community as well as city guests alike. We will be
introducing concepts with partner chefs to create
culinary experiences that are new and distinct
to Singapore.
An organisation is only as good as its people.
A large number of our colleagues have been with
the hotel for many years; some more than 20
years. We believe in providing constant on-the-
job training, including adapting to technologi-
cal changes. There are succession plans in place
in all departments to ensure continuity. At the
same time, we also provide opportunities for
colleagues to take on leadership roles in various
committees within the hotel.
What can your trade partners and customers look
forward to in doing business with you in 2019?
In 2019, Raffles Singapore will welcome guests
to a newly-restored hotel, following a careful and
sensitive restoration that will breathe new life
into our beautiful building.
With enhanced comfort and splendour for
the discerning traveller, guests can immerse in
our striking architecture, heritage and grace-
ful service for that unique feeling of being
somewhere very special. – Christian Westbeld,
general manager